Exploring Shifts in Prescription Dispensing Patterns: A Descriptive Analysis before and During the Initial Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Sex and Age

Abstract

Objective:

To explore the most dispensed drug categories in females and males in the United States and to examine sex differences in dispensed therapeutics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design:

This descriptive study utilizes prescription dispensing data to assess drug therapeutic category trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting:

This study draws data from US outpatient pharmacies to provide insights into prescription dispensing practices.

Participants:

The analysis encompasses a wide range of patients accessing outpatient pharmacy services (from Symphony Health Metys® [Metys®] database), categorized by sex and age, for the period January 1, 2019—December 31, 2020.

Interventions/Exposures:

The study focuses on prescription dispensing patterns without any specific interventions or exposures.

Main Outcomes and Measures:

The main outcomes include the identification of the most dispensed therapeutic categories, their distribution by sex and age, and any differences in prescription dispensing.

Results:

Across various age groups, psychotherapeutic drugs and respiratory therapies were consistently among the most dispensed therapeutic categories for males and females. Vascular agents emerged as a top choice for those aged 41 years and above. Contraceptives were prevalent among females aged 17 to 40 years. Furthermore, females received more prescriptions than males across most categories. Notably, between the pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic periods (2020), the prescriptions dispensed differed by an estimated 15 million prescriptions.

Conclusions and Relevance:

This study sheds light on prescription dispensing trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer valuable insights into medication utilization by sex and age and the potential effects of the pandemic on dispensing patterns.